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Prince Harry and Father King Charles III's Ups and Downs Through ...

Prince Harry and Father King Charles IIIs Ups and Downs Through
King Charles III and late ex Princess Diana welcomed their second son, Prince Harry, in 1984 — inside the king’s ups and downs with Harry

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down from their positions as senior working royals, the duke’s relationship with father King Charles III soon dissipated.

“My family literally cut me off financially, and I [needed to be able to] afford security for us,” the Duke of Sussex alleged in his bombshell CBS interview in March 2021. “[I was cut off] in the first quarter of 2020. But I’ve got what my mom [Princess Diana, who died in August 1997] left me and without that, we would not have been able to do this.”

Harry and the Duchess of Sussex, who wed in May 2018, had been living off an income provided by the English crown — which Charles controlled. After the married couple decided to take a step back from their royal duties, His Majesty was also reluctant to speak to them.

“[He stopped] because, by that point, I took matters into my own hands,” Harry said during the tell-all interview. “It was like, ‘I need to do this for my family.’ This is not a surprise to anybody. It’s really sad that it’s gotten to this point, but I’ve got to do something for my own mental health, my wife’s and for Archie’s, as well, because I could see where this was headed.”

He continued: “I will always love him, but there’s a lot of hurt that’s happened. And I will continue to make it one of my priorities to try and heal that relationship.”

The BetterUp CIO and the Suits alum eventually relocated from London to Montecito, California, where they are raising their two children: Archie, born in 2019, and Lilibet, born in 2021.

Charles, for his part, has not publicly addressed the family rift but did reunite with Harry at the April 2021 funeral for his late father, Prince Philip.

“It was hard. Especially spending time, having chats with my brother [Prince William] and my father, who just, you know, were very much focused on the same misinterpretation of the whole situation,” Harry recalled of the family reunion in his Harry & Meghan documentary, which premiered on Netflix in December 2022. “None of us really wanted to have to talk about it at my grandfather’s funeral, but we did.”

Harry returned home to Meghan and Archie after the funeral for the late Duke of Edinburgh, months before the couple welcomed Lilibet the following June.

As the Spare scribe and the Daters’ Handbook actress remained focused on their California-based brood, they reunited with Charles — and the other members of the royal family — again after Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022 at the age of 96. Harry and Meghan both attended her state funeral in London, and received a subtle shoutout from the king in his first speech as monarch. (The former Prince of Wales ascended the throne after the queen’s death.)

“I think the king has made it very clear that he wants to heal the rift. Family dynamics, of course, are always complicated, but I think we can all see that there’s a great deal of pain,” royal expert Gareth Russell exclusively told Us Weekly at the time, referring to the king’s remarks about sending Harry and Meghan “love” while living abroad. “The king, even when he was Prince of Wales, I think has made it very clear that he would, he would like a better relationship with the Duke of Sussex. So let’s hope that the olive branch is something that works.”

Scroll below to revisit Harry and Charles’ ups and downs:

Prince Harry and Father King Charles III's Ups and Downs Through the Years- A Timeline - 268 100th Anniversary of The Battle of Vimy Ridge, France - 09 Apr 2017

Credit: Tim Rooke/Shutterstock

Prince Harry and Father King Charles III's Ups and Downs Through the Years: A Timeline

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down from their positions as senior working royals, the duke’s relationship with father King Charles III soon dissipated.

“My family literally cut me off financially, and I [needed to be able to] afford security for us,” the Duke of Sussex alleged in his bombshell CBS interview in March 2021. “[I was cut off] in the first quarter of 2020. But I’ve got what my mom [Princess Diana, who died in August 1997] left me and without that, we would not have been able to do this.”

Harry and the Duchess of Sussex, who wed in May 2018, had been living off an income provided by the English crown — which Charles controlled. After the married couple decided to take a step back from their royal duties, His Majesty was also reluctant to speak to them.

“[He stopped] because, by that point, I took matters into my own hands,” Harry said during the tell-all interview. “It was like, ‘I need to do this for my family.’ This is not a surprise to anybody. It’s really sad that it’s gotten to this point, but I’ve got to do something for my own mental health, my wife’s and for Archie’s, as well, because I could see where this was headed.”

He continued: “I will always love him, but there’s a lot of hurt that’s happened. And I will continue to make it one of my priorities to try and heal that relationship.”

The BetterUp CIO and the Suits alum eventually relocated from London to Montecito, California, where they are raising their two children: Archie, born in 2019, and Lilibet, born in 2021.

[jwplayer i7U712az-zhNYySv2]

Charles, for his part, has not publicly addressed the family rift but did reunite with Harry at the April 2021 funeral for his late father, Prince Philip.

“It was hard. Especially spending time, having chats with my brother [Prince William] and my father, who just, you know, were very much focused on the same misinterpretation of the whole situation,” Harry recalled of the family reunion in his Harry & Meghan documentary, which premiered on Netflix in December 2022. “None of us really wanted to have to talk about it at my grandfather’s funeral, but we did.”

Harry returned home to Meghan and Archie after the funeral for the late Duke of Edinburgh, months before the couple welcomed Lilibet the following June.

As the Spare scribe and the Daters’ Handbook actress remained focused on their California-based brood, they reunited with Charles — and the other members of the royal family — again after Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022 at the age of 96. Harry and Meghan both attended her state funeral in London, and received a subtle shoutout from the king in his first speech as monarch. (The former Prince of Wales ascended the throne after the queen’s death.)

“I think the king has made it very clear that he wants to heal the rift. Family dynamics, of course, are always complicated, but I think we can all see that there’s a great deal of pain,” royal expert Gareth Russell exclusively told Us Weekly at the time, referring to the king’s remarks about sending Harry and Meghan “love” while living abroad. “The king, even when he was Prince of Wales, I think has made it very clear that he would, he would like a better relationship with the Duke of Sussex. So let’s hope that the olive branch is something that works.”

Scroll below to revisit Harry and Charles’ ups and downs:

Prince Harry and Father King Charles III's Ups and Downs Through the Years- A Timeline - 262 PRINCESS DIANA WITH PRINCE WILLIAM - 1984

Credit: Lord Snowdon/Shutterstock

September 1984

Nearly two years after Charles and Diana welcomed son William, the former couple expanded their family again. Harry, real name Henry Charlie Albert David, was born on September 15. Charles and Diana continued to coparent their boys following their 1992 separation. Their divorce was finalized in August 1996, one year before the princess died in a fatal car crash.

Prince Harry and Father King Charles III's Ups and Downs Through the Years- A Timeline - 263 Princess Diana Funeral, London, Britain - 06 Sep 1997

Credit: Shutterstock

August 1997

After Diana’s death, both William and Harry — then 15 and 12, respectively — walked in the funeral procession to Westminster Abbey for the state funeral. Charles, Philip and Diana’s brother Charles Spencer joined the brothers during the march.

“My mother had just died, and I had to walk a long way behind her coffin, surrounded by thousands of people watching me while millions more did on television,” Harry told Newsweek in June 2017 of the experience. “I don’t think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances. I don’t think it would happen today.”

Prince Harry and Father King Charles III's Ups and Downs Through the Years- A Timeline - 264 The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Ceremony, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, Berkshire, UK - 19 May 2018

Credit: Shutterstock

November 2018

Harry proposed to the Bench author in November 2017. As the duo planned their royal wedding, news broke that Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, would not attend the ceremony — or walk her down the aisle — after he was accused of staging paparazzi photos for profit. As a result, Harry and Meghan asked Charles to fill in.

“I asked him to and I think he knew it was coming and he immediately said, ‘Yes, of course. I’ll do whatever Meghan needs and I’m here to support you,’” Harry revealed in the BBC One documentary Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70 in November 2018. “For him, that’s a fantastic opportunity to step up and be that support. He’s our father, so of course, he’s gonna be there for us. I was very grateful for him to be able to do that.”

Prince Harry and Father King Charles III's Ups and Downs Through the Years- A Timeline - 268 100th Anniversary of The Battle of Vimy Ridge, France - 09 Apr 2017

Credit: Tim Rooke/Shutterstock

January 2020

In early 2020, Harry and Meghan started to express their interest in leaving London to pursue a quieter life with Archie in Canada (a Commonwealth territory). The former army captain alleged in Harry & Meghan that both Charles and William were unwilling to compromise after the trio were called to a meeting at Sandringham House in January 2020.

“[I] went in with the same proposal that we’d already made publicly [about stepping down as senior working members]. But once I got there, I was given five options,” Harry recalled in the December 2022 documentary. “One being, all in, no change. Five being, all out. I chose option three in the meeting. Half in, half out.”

He added: “It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me, and my father say things that just simply weren’t true, and my grandmother [Queen Elizabeth II] quietly sit there, and sort of take it all in.”

Neither William nor Charles have addressed Harry’s claims about the meeting.

Prince Harry and Father King Charles III's Ups and Downs Through the Years- A Timeline - 269 100th Anniversary of the Royal Air Force, London, UK - 10 Jul 2018

Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock

March 2021

During Harry and Meghan’s first bombshell interview after their royal exit, the duke claimed that Charles had stopped answering his phone calls. “It’s really sad that it’s gotten to this point, but I’ve got to do something for my own mental health, my wife’s and for Archie’s, as well, because I could see where this was headed,” Harry said. “I feel really let down because he’s been through something similar. He knows what pain feels like, and Archie’s his grandson.”

Prince Harry and Father King Charles III's Ups and Downs Through the Years- A Timeline - 270 Queen, London, United Kingdom - 09 Sep 2022

Credit: Yui Mok/AP/Shutterstock

September 2022

Shortly after the queen’s death, Charles gave his first address as the reigning monarch. During the speech, he proclaimed that his wife Camilla would be known as the queen consort and that William would inherit his Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall titles. He also included a subtle mention to Harry. “I want also to express my love for Harry and Meghan, as they continue to build their lives overseas,” the king added at the time.

Prince Harry and Father King Charles III's Ups and Downs Through the Years- A Timeline - 271 Vigil of the Queen's grandchildren, Westminster Hall, London, UK - 17 Sep 2022

Credit: Aaron Chown/WPA Pool/Shutterstock

September 2022

The Archewell cofounders gave up their “His/Her Royal Highness” distinctions when they stepped down from their regal duties, with Harry also being stripped of his honorary titles. As a result, the Invictus Games cofounder — who served in the British army for 10 years— was unable to wear his ceremonial uniform to the queen’s funeral events per Charles’ order. Harry wore a black morning suit to the Westminster Hall procession and Elizabeth’s state funeral.

“[Harry] has come to terms with not wearing uniform on these occasions,” a source exclusively told Us at the time. “Whilst that’s disappointing in some senses, he’s just grateful to be present and honoring the queen. At the end of the day, it’s only a uniform.”

Charles ultimately had a change of heart before the queen’s grandchildren’s vigil, allowing Harry to wear his military dress like William.

Prince Harry and Father King Charles III's Ups and Downs Through the Years- A Timeline - 275

Credit: Netflix

December 2022

In Harry & Meghan episode 4, Harry revealed that his dad was instrumental in helping the soon-to-be married couple pick out an orchestra — and gospel choir — to play during the ceremony, which “made all the difference.”

He added: “Everyone was like, ‘Gospel choir. Wonderful idea. That’s great.’ And again, more help from my dad on that one.”

Prince Harry and Father King Charles III's Ups and Downs Through the Years- A Timeline - 266 The Christening of Prince Louis, London, UK - 09 Jul 2018

Credit: Shutterstock

December 2022

Harry alleged in the Netflix doc that his father’s team was involved in leaking his and Meghan’s plans to leave their royal roles and settle in Canada.

“It became clear that the institution leaked the fact that we were going to be moving back to Canada,” he claimed. “And the key piece of that story that made me aware that the contents of the letter between me and my father had been leaked was that we were willing to relinquish our Sussex titles. That was the giveaway.”

Prince Harry and Father King Charles III's Ups and Downs Through the Years- A Timeline - 267 The State Funeral of Her Majesty The Queen, Procession from Wellington Arch to Windsor, London, UK - 19 Sep 2022

Credit: Justin Setterfield/Pool/Shutterstock

December 2022

After the duke recounted his “screaming match” with William and their dad in 2020, he believes that there will not be a future apology.

“I’ve had to make peace with the fact that we’re probably never gonna get genuine accountability or a genuine apology. My wife and I, we’re moving on. We’re focused on what’s coming next,” Harry said. “There’s times when I’ve been angry, but I can’t be that angry because I genuinely feel that we are exactly where we’re supposed to be. We’ve made it to the other side.”

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